1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shipping system for shipping articles.
2. The Prior Art
It is generally known that shipping boxes having a shipping volume in which the articles to be shipped can be accommodated may be used for shipping various articles.
These shipping boxes are relatively easy to handle, e.g., by means of a forklift. These shipping boxes facilitate loading and unloading of a truck, for example, which greatly simplifies shipping of articles over great distances.
An important shipping problem may occur with articles which form units that can be manufactured by preassembly then incorporated into the respective end product as part of a final assembly. In many cases, there is a great distance between the location of preassembly and the location of final assembly, so the completely preassembled units or intermediate products must be shipped from one location to another, frequently over great distances. Shipping becomes especially problematical in cases when the articles shipped are sensitive to impact because of their size and/or properties so that shipping entails the risk of damage to the articles. Depending on the extent and frequency of such damage, the manufacturer of the articles may decide whether to leave the production of the articles at the original preassembly site or whether to shift it to the site of final assembly for economic reasons. Therefore, based on economic considerations, the shipping problem may decide whether manufacturing sites are to be retained or must be moved. However, moving a manufacturing site is associated with enormous expense and complexity. Another economic and logistic problem may also occur due to the fact that the shipping boxes are usually empty during the return shipping from the site of final assembly to the site of preassembly, but this does not contribute to the profitability of shipping operations.